The family members
by Linneagb
Summary: To a family are the people who care for you, old members who turn up, and new people who'll be turning up when you least expect it. It's the day before Ryan's birthday. And he's about to have it all in less than twelve hours. *Happy birthday Tif S*


**I'm writing this as a birthday gift for Tif S. I really wanted to write another birthday gift and here we are. I hope she likes it and I hope everyone likes it. I've had this idea in my mind for quite a while **

**This birthday gift is late by now but I hope that you, Tif S, and everyone else loves it. It's set in the same universe as some other oneshots where Ryan and Taylor have twins and Summer and Seth has three sons and a daughter and yeah- there's a lot of other things in this universe that I'm planning from this one so… you'll never know. **

**Google says Ryan's birthday is 11th September... I trust Google. **

**No, Kirsten and Sandy aren't Cooper's aunt and uncle but it would be so cute him calling them that. Talking about Cooper- when I made the full character list for this fandom and sent it in I had seen somewhere that was his name and I thought it really was. When I realized he hadn't been named it was already there- and the name makes sense, so... his name here is Cooper. (Cooper is Julie and Frank's son ) **

**Lexey is portrayed by Willow Sage Heart. The picture Trey shows Ryan is one I have saved in my computer. I'll put it on my Instagram "Linneagbfanfiction" **

"Okay." I lifted my little brother on my hip so he could see the tastes of ice cream they had at the cafe we had ended up at after I had come to get him after soccer practice. "Can you choose twoo scoops of ice cream?"

"Two?" Cooper almost sounded offended. "I want four. At least."

I supressed a sigh, saw the clerk by the ice cream stand smirking- he just wanted to sell and didn't he when a little kid like my little brother came to eat ice cream?

"You know, we'll be eating a whole lot of cake tomorrow too when it's my birthday. And you know what aunt Kirsten is like with birthdays."

Why would I even care to try to protest?

"Well," I looked up on the clerk. "Four scoops of ice cream and a coffee please."

"Coffee?" Cooper questioned. "Yuk!"

"That one's for me." I took the ice cream the clerk handed to me over the counter and handed it to Cooper who looked as if he'd been given all the greatest treasures of the earth. "Go find somewhere to sit and I'll pay and get some napkins."

Cooper nodded happily and disappeared behind my back while I pulled up my card from my pocket, then didn't turn to go to the napkins. And it was when I turned that I saw someone with his hood pulled up that took Cooper's hand and seemed to be walking away with him.

"HEY." I threw both coffee cups and napkins to the floor when I saw them and ran the fastest I could- all I could see the anonymous hood- wearing stranger that had tried to take my little brother away. "LET GO OF HIM. LET GO." I grabbed him by his hoodie and turned him around, it was just after I had taken a first blow he got the chance to make his voice heard.

"Ryan, brother... Ryan... OW! RYAN FRANCES ATWOOD."

It didn't matter that he shouted my full name, his hood fell off and he tried to get away from my blows, it didn't matter that I heard Cooper screaming and the rest of the people around me started reacting.

"SOMEONE CALL SECURITY."

"Come here."

I felt someone grab me from behind while more people came up from behind the guy and at last I was forced back and had to stop panting, still panting and feeling undescribable hatred towards the guy in front of me.

"Wow, Ryan." He said wiping blood from his nose with his hand. "You got quite a few blows there. Did you really have to punch so hard?"

For a moment I could only hear my heart beating...

"Trey?"

Someone came running, guards, grabbed Trey before I had explained and I was let go off by whoever was behind me.

"No, no." I almost shouted weakly. "It's okay. I know him. I just didn't recognize him at first."

People were glaring at me while they let go of me, let go of Trey- took a few steps back and I walked over to Cooper who was standing up on his chair crying his eyes out.

"Come here." I lifted him down, then without thinking I held him so high while I should have put him down and come down to his level inside. "You can NEVER go with a stranger who wants to take you with them. NEVER. Under no circumstances. Do you hear me?" Cooper nodded with tears streaming down his cheeks and not until then it hit me how scared he must be feeling right now and I put him down and stroke his back.

"It's okay Cooper. It's okay."

He didn't seem as if he thought it would be okay. He was hyperventlitating

I sat down on the chair next to him, and regretted with every single piece of me how I had lift him up, something our dad would have done to us and I for sure had made a silent promise to myself that I would never do to a little kid.

"Geez Ry!" Trey said annoyingly. "You've got some anger in you. I almost shit my own pants too so how afraid…"

I glared at him- if glares could have killed there wouldn't have been much left of him. But he only chuckled slightly and took a step back wwhile I tried my best to comfort Cooper.

"Sch, sch. Cooper." I soothed. "It's okay, it's okay."

More tears rolled down Cooper's cheeks but in annoyance he stroke away the last few with the back of his hands as his breathing slowed down at last while his eyes had a strange look in them that I didn't recognize when he looked at me.

"It's okay. I'm not angry at you."

For the last few tears and the last snivel he pouted slightly and looked up on me.

"B- b- but my ice cream."

"We have a special offer today." The waiter right by us said and glared at me. "Two to the price of one. So since you paid for the one you dropped you can have another one just for free… However if you want another coffee you'll have to pay for another.

If it wasn't for the fact that my head was pounding from needing the caffeine I would only have glared back. But now I took my wallet while the clerk scooped up ice cream for my little brother and I then handed the money over the checkout stand.

All the time I could feel Trey watching me as I at last turned around and forced myself not to meet his glance until I had sat down.

"Do you have any idea how hard it's been to even find you bro?" He asked without any further notice. "It's like you've been living under a secret identity or something. First I went back to Chino and looked, then to Newport, and with some rumors and meeting… I have finally ended up here and I came to your house and… and your wife is… strange! But she told me you were here and here I am… So tell me… Are you still together with that Marissa?"

Well, if Trey had even met Taylor to get here it must be obvious…

I still preferred not to talk about what happened that night with me in one car and Volchock in the other…

"No."

"Damn." Trey swore slightly. "You two seemed such a nice couple. She even shot me in the back to protect you- literally! Did something like that happen again? Is she in prison or something?"

I guess my brother still hadn't changed much.

"No…" I sighed deeply. Mentions of Marissa still sent me right back to the night after graduation and how I had held her in my arms. "Marissa's dead. She died in a car crash."

"Oh f*ck."

Trey leaned back in his chair with his mouth opened and staring at me as if I was about to say "April fool's" and change my story.

"What are you doing here Trey?"

"Can't I just come see my brotyher every once in a while?"

Did he need money? Usually there was something like that he would need that he would even come and see me…

"I don't need anything at all. But I have waited five, six years to give you the biggest news of my life and now I really want to tell you about them… but now…" He turned his head to look at Cooper. "You seem to have some news yourself. Who are you?"

I raised an eyebrow… Maybe, just maybe it was that Trey hadn't even heard about Cooper and dad and Julie and…

"My name is Cooper Marcus Atwood."

"Atwood? Cooper?" Trey turned back towards me. "This is confusing."

"Dad is Cooper's dad. His mum is Julie Cooper, his older sisters are Marissa and Kaitlin and his big brothers are you and me."

If I could just explain this as quickly as possible and maybe I'd never have to see Trey again… If he only knew how he'd hurt me that day when I'd been standing and watching the greyhound bus with him on it disappear out of my life.

"Well. Hello Cooper, I'm your big brother Trey. And now you know me, there are some more finally members you'll have to know about…. Ryan, you haven't met her either."

I couldn't help but wonder while Trey pulled up his phone and pressed it to search for something before he reached it to me, to a picture of a little girl- about Cooper's or Sophie Rose's age, dressed in a grey dress and black cardigan, holding onto a white floor and looking away from the camera.

"That is my Lexey." Trey said with pride in his voice. "She's the one making me the man I am tonight… well, she and her mother who left when she was two days and I just decided that I won't for anything in the world become what I once was… If that's what it takes for Lexey to have a good and safe childhood I'll do anything… It's what you do for your children. Although I never knew I would have any myself."

Trey sighed happily before he closed his phone and pushed it back into his jeans pocket. And then, with the same smile- a kind I didn't recognize he looked towards Cooper. Cooper on the other hand didn't seem so sure about what he should think of his big brother. I couldn't remember one single time that Cooper had even heard of his oldest brother.

It was just that both I and dad preferred not to think or thought about what had been such a long time ago…

"Oh. I almost forgot about your birthday gift." Trey reached into his large pocket and pulled out a framed picture. "I'm sorry. But I didn't have any wrapping paper."

It was a picture of himself and Lexey. Them both smiling towards the camera and Trey kneeled next to her, his arm around her waist and her arm around his shoulders.

They looked like the closest daddy- daughter- relation I had ever seen…

"By my next birthday you better have a framed picture of your family members… you must have kids… you must be at least planning for kids." I shook my head. "Well when you do I want a picture like that- framed. And now you better hang that somewhere you see it every day."

I couldn't help but to roll my eyes, my brother was just himself no matter how much "better" that had turned.

"I have to go now." He hadn't been sitting down for five minutes and hadn't even taken his jacket off when he stood up again and ruffled in Cooper's hair. "Maybe I'll see you some time. Next time I come around I'll bring your niece."

Without saying goodbye or appologizing for how he had scared us he turned and walked out of the café and out of our sights. For a moment I just stared at the point where he had disappeared.

Just like I had done that evening he was on a greyhound bus…

"Eat your ice cream." I grabbed my to- go- cup. "We're going home."

"Home? But mum's trying to do her homework."

"I know."

"But I want to know more about Trey? Why did no one even tell me about him?"

"I don't know. I'll tell you more some other day."

"Cooper Marcus Atwood. Eat your ice cream and then I'll take you home."

Cooper pouted, but did as he was told even though I could tell he did it as slowly as possible. With every second I shook my leg up and down and just wanted to move.

"Come on." As soon as Cooper had taken his last spoonful of ice cream I got onto my feet and took his jacket to help him get it on.

"Why are you rushing so much? I don't like it when people are rushing."

I closed my eyes and sighed. I knew that. But all I wanted was to be on my own and try to think some.

The way of walking from Julie and dad's house and Sandy and Kirsten had never been so short. Still, I just needed to be on my own… but if I told them I'd seen Trey they would be as concerned as I was. Plus worried about me.

That was why I hoped they wouldn't notice me coming home when I tried making my way through the hallway and up the stairs.

"We have dinner here if you want some."

I was going to tell them I wasn't hungry. I wasn't. But knowing it would leave them worried and lead to more questions I went into the kitchen- at least egg rolls could be eaten without having to use a knife and fork.

I only ate so many it would keep Sandy and Kirsten from worrying and I had to force my hands not to shake. But I just wanted to get away and think to myself and every bite grew in my mouth. And it seemed like forever until I could thank them for the food, get up and go to think some for myself.

"Are you okay?" Sandy asked when I was on my way out of the kitchen. "You seem a bit… off."

"Yes I'm fine…"

In this house, on the second flooor there was a window where you could see the road and the driveway. I had been sitting there a few times before, it was a good thinking- spot as Sandy said it. And right now, as soon as I got my jacket off and laid the picture frame on the bed I and Taylor used when we were here, I sat down and turned, pulling my feet up so that I held my feet towards the wall next to me and could look down towards the driveway, even though no one arrived.

"How was downtown today." Sandy came by and kept asking. "That's where you and Cooper were going right?"

"It was good." I answered monotonely. "He wanted a huge ice cream and who am I to say no when he wants something." I looked meaningly back at Sandy and forced a short laugh. "We went to a café and then they had this small playing- spot so Cooper found someone to play with and I drank coffee."

I came up with the lies that I felt that I needed as I went…

Lord knows what anyone else in my life would say when they knew of who else had been on town today. And I wasn't so sure what I was about to say or feel- I'd be happy as long as I didn't really have to talk about it.

"Are you sure you're okay?... you seem awfully quiet." I just raised an eyebrow- had I ever been much of a talker? "Yeah yeah, yeah… but even quieter than you usually are…" I hesitated… I just didn't want to worry him.

"I'm fine… it's my birthday tomorrow. How could I not be?"

"A bit of ageing anxiety." Sandy laughed and patted my shoulder. "Don't worry about that Ryan. When you get to my age you can worry about age. And after all- what's the option of growing old?"

"Dying young?"

Sandy nodded silently, and as if he'd heard me thinking and agreed that there wasn't more to say at the moment he walked away and I heard him talkinng to Kirsten in the kitchen at the same time I saw Taylor's car pull over in the driveway.

"I'm only here for a second." I forced away a relieved breath when Taylor said that she would get going. "Or… I'm staying. You guys know not to interrupt." She blinked at me and disappeared into our room, right through it there was a large closet where Taylor had made her so- called writing- room. And in there Taylor would be gone for the world so there would be no point even try to contact her.

And neither would she try and contact us…

I slipped back into the window sill, leaned my head back- half against the wall behind me and half to the side and to the road down below where a car drove by every once in a while…

"How many hours have you been sitting here for?"

"I... ehrm..." I hadn't noticed I hadn't noticed time passing by until Sandy came asking that when the day had passed to night. "I don't know... hrm... I just thought I'd stay up until midnight. Then it will be my birthday after all."

Sandy knew me way too well not to see through those lies.

I had only planned to say that I had met Trey today. But glancing at the bedroom door and knowing the picture frame that laid on the bed had a lump rising in my throat and when tears were rising in my eyes I just couldn't help it...

"Hey, hey. It's okay Ryan. It's okay."

No part of me understood why I had started crying.

But I did cry, I had my face buried in Sandy's shirt and he stroke my hair and shushed gently as if I had been a little child.

I tried to force the sobs back but that only had me trembling more and at last there was nothing better for me to do than just relax, cry and wait until the tears had run out.

"My God." I lifted my collar and wiped the rest of the tears with it. "I didn't mean to cry, I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to say you're sorry kid. Is there something bothering you that I can help with?"

Like so many other times I suddenly remembered that time at the Juvie when I and Sandy had met for the first time... what if Sandy had just decided not to treat me as any other client than the others or I had kept shoving him away from me...

"Do you know who we met today? Me and Cooper?"

"Whom?"

I had to take a moment to just take a moment and sigh shakily. Sandy rubbed my arm and I had to take another deep breath before my breath was steady enough to speak his name.

"Trey."

Sandy raised an eyebrow. His memories of the last time Trey had been here weren't much better than my own. And my memories of the first time Sandy had comforted me like this, when Trey left passed in my mind.

There were so many memories we had together…

"He has a daughter, Lexey." I went into the bedroom, got the frame and showed it to him. "And honestly.. I know Trey and so many times he's said so many times that he's going to change and maybe I shouldn't trust him but… there was something new in his eyes when he talked about her- it's like she's the saviour, the pride and joy he always needed to see a meaning with… with life."

Sandy hadn't looked up from the picture frame he held in his hand for a bit. Now finally he did and looked back on me.

"Well. If he ever needs some tips from a real dad…"

"You mean better than our dad." I said what I knew he couldn't. "…Yeah. I know." He nodded slightly. "I know… Is it just strange that… that I do know and that I do think and I've just made up my mind to ve a verrer dad than Frank… of course it isn't strange." I pushed Sandy's shoulder slightly. "I learnt from the best."

Sandy smiled in gratefulness and once again I couldn't help but wonder and wonder and wonder what life would have been if there had been other choices made that day… those days that seemed sos long ago.

One thing I knew would always be the same though.

"But well… my birthday will always stay the same…" I smiled widely as if I had been a little kid and just had to move on from those serious matters. "…But that's one of the few things that would have been the same if… if… you know what I mean… what time is it by the way?" I looked at my watch. "Twenty minutes past midnight… huh! It's my birthday and I didn't even know about it."

"Happy birthday Ryan." Finally, Sandy smiled some. "But I think you'll have to wait with your gift and cake until later today… maybe…" he yawned. "Maybe until we can all keep our eyes open. And the rest of us are already asleep and… hey Taylor."

Without us even hearing it Taylor had come out of our bedroom holding a gift in her hand. She looked nervous and first looked at Sandy.

"I'll go to bed." He let go off my shoulder and patted Taylor's on the way towards his bedroom. "See you two in the morning. Goodnight."

Taylor took a few steps closer to me and I noticed her hands were shaking. I couldn't help but frown and held out my hands, but she didn't take it and only span the gift in her hands.

"I wanted to give you this at the moment it was your birthday..." Taylor was holding a small, narrow gift that she carefully handed to me. "...But I fell asleep and then woke up now... Will you open it now or do you want to wait until in the morning... please do it now."

I couldn't help but smirk slightly, but then felt it fading. Whenever Taylor was excited about something- which she usually was about getting or giving gifts, she really wanted it to happen as quickly as possibly to see the reaction.

Yet I had never seen her this shaky and it was almost like she was holding her breath.

I stroke her arm with my palm and then pulled the wrapping thread off the parcel, for Taylor's sake I didn't exactly intend to do it as slowly as possible. But there was tape everywhere and I had to at last open it in one end and then reach into the small bag to pull the gift- item up.

"Oh man."

Under the white, blue and pink wrapping paper was a small pink and white stick.

And it had a little mark with a plus sign.

I kept staring at it, looked away and then looked back several times and feared that that plus sign would be gone next time I looked down.

"You should say something soon."

I looked further up on Taylor again. She was rubbing her hands and almost holding her breath. I couldn't find any words to answer so at last I leaned forward slightly to kiss her, then kept my forehead against hers while I held the positive pregnancy test for me to see it.

"Wow!"

So this was the feeling Trey had been talking about.

"I... I don't know what to say."

I would have kissed her but for for sure five minutes I couldn't say or do anything without looking down on that positive pregnancy test over and over as if that would make the plus sign go away.

"How did you even know... How did you even figure to take a test."

"Well... at first the condom broke..." I nodded- then that was about how far I knew between then and now. "...and we didn't think anything would happen from that one but then I started feeling nauseas in the mornings and I didn't get my period and my breasts are all swollen and tender and... I just thought that I still didn't think that test would be positive. But then I bought one... or eight... and they were all positive and I just didn't know how to tell you."

I was still stunned, still looking from Taylor down on the test and then back again.

"I know we said that we were going to wait but then... then... then..."

I never thought I'd see the day when my Taylor was in loss of words.

"Hey." I stroke her cheek. "It's perfect. You're perfect and whoever is right inside of you is perfect and has come at the exact right time."

She gave a relieved smile and I wrapped my arms around her when she leaned into my shoulder. I blew into her hair and then for a while we just stood there. I had to close my eyes in well being and smiled slightly myself when I felt Taylor moving and lay a hand towards her stomach.

"In eight months- in May, this one in here will have his or her own birthday..."

"And by then..." I couldn't help but laugh but knew that by then I wouldn't. "...You and I certainly won't get any time to stand like this... I won't be able to sit in the window sill the whole afternoon neither..."

"Let's just stay like this for a minute."

I didn't move, Taylor didn't look up at me but might have felt me moving when I nodded. We might as well have been standing like that for five hours as we did for five minutes.

"Well..." At last we broke lose from each other, I wasn't quite ready to let go yet and laid my hands on her arms so she looked me in the eyes. "I can tell you one thing for sure. No birthday gift, not today and not ever is going to beat that one."

Taylor smiled tiredly and took a step back.

"Happy birthday Ryan."

**I don't write stories right up and down but by when I get the ideas for the scenes. So when I'm writing this I still have much left to write when Trey, Ryan and Cooper are at the cafe and Ryan comes back home. Hopefully it'll be quick because I can't wait to share this. **

**Random fact **

I know I told you that I'd been having this idea for a while. But actually, what I had an idea for is only the scene at the café when Trey arrives. Ryan's birthday and everything else has sbeen added, even though I thought maybe there'd be too much in one story.

Now I'll have to write more in this scenario with everything… I have so many ideas.

**And then one more HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Tif S. Even though I'm one day late. **


End file.
